For those of you who have followed our blog or follow us on Facebook, are familiar with our wonderful labrador retriever, Lucy, who arrived here in Italy in 2003 when she was 6 years old.

We lost our sweet girl last Thursday at the ripe old age of 15. It has been heartbreaking for me to lose my constant companion after all these years.

The best thing I can do now is honor her with a photo montage of Lucy’s Adventures in Italy…

Lucy’s first day in Florence. She looks so tentative in this picture but she quickly learned to love her new home.

Lucy’s first road (and train!) trip to Positano. She ran up and down the stairs several times a day. She loved them! Then she would pass out at 6pm each night and wake up at 8am each day. Ready for the new adventure!

Living La Dolce Vita in Portofino.

Swimming in Riomaggiore, one of her favorite watering holes.

Taking the ferry to Portovenere,

Kisses from Portovenere!

Hiking in Montemarcello Park.

Frolicking in Vernazza.

Taking the train to anywhere, anytime!

Trekking through Tellaro.

Hanging with Peetie on the terrace.

Basking away in Lerici.

Visiting her favorite chapel (it shaded her from the sun after a long walk).

Waiting for Mommy to sit down and start a days work, so she could lay on top of my feet.

Posing with Mom & Dad (and not yet born Peetie) on a warm September day.

Wondering what the heck is all that white stuff in the garden. This California blond had no clue!

But the best place on them all was in Mommy’s lap where she could dream up her next adventure!

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Who wouldn’t want to spending their vacations days sailing along some of the most beautiful coastline in Italy?! We certainly do!

Imagine 3, 4 or 7 days on your own private luxury sailboat that takes you from the lovely old port of Genova to the glimmering coves around Portofino to the rugged yet pristine Cinque Terre and ending in the charming seaside village of Portovenere. Along the way enjoy interesting tours, fabulous wine tastings, delicious on-board meals, lounging on deck, dips in the sapphire blue Med and all that “La Dolce Vita” has to offer!

We are working on a couple different itineraries and will have them up on the web site soon. In the meantime, start dreaming away and don’t hesitate to contact us with questions.

After a brief break from the January-like weather in March, we have once again returned to January. Our garden is now a lake. The desperately needed work on our building has been at a stand still for two weeks. On the bigger front, our government has gone to pot and we are quickly becoming the butt of everyone’s EU jokes (and rightfully so). The news is filled with stories of people not making ends meet and unemployment at an all time high. The only ray of sunshine these days is a new, wonderful, positive Pope (let’s hope he brings some “allegra” to this country!).

I have loved living here in Italy, but right now, it’s just plain dreary, literally and figuratively. Soooooooo, I am re-posting and adding to my PRO Italy List. I originally wrote this list 6 years ago, when someone referred to living in Italy in a not so positive way. I do believe this is a wonderful place to live and that this big, bad hiccup will come to an end. And because in the end, this is where I call home…

1. 2500 years of history (good, bad, scandalous, heroic, but always interesting) that shaped western civilization
2. The fact that most kids have read some of Dante by the time they are 14
3. The marriage between food, wine and life – you can’t have one without the others
4. Importance of family and actually meaning it
5. The rumble and glistening of olive trees when you can’t decide if they are green silver or lavender
6. Donatello, the master of near every medium of art including wood, bronze, gold, marble & paper
7. The passeggiata, the afternoon stroll is the prefect way to start your evening and work off a big pasta lunch!
8. The crystal clear, pristine sea water in the bay between Portovenere and Palmaria
9. Dogs being allowed in dressing rooms in department stores
10. Hot, fresh Focaccia – sorry but it just cannot be duplicated in the states like it is here
11. Isola Bella near Taormina, Sicily
12. How a caffè latte can brighten up your whole day
13. “Pianeta Mare”, “Linea Blue” & “SuperQuark” – these informative shows on history and the sea put Mutual of Omaha & National Geographic to shame!
14. The smell of jasmine and wisteria EVERYWHERE in spring (WHEN it arrives!)
15. Learning when what produce is in season
16. Turning the corner and finding another 1000 year old street or chapel
17. Looking up and realizing that’s not snow, it’s marble!
18. The milk, it just tastes way better, fresher here
19. Learning when what fish is in season and what fish are better “surgelato” (frozen)
20. Seeing the Pantheon for the first or 100th time, it never seizes to amaze me
21. Mastering walking in stilettos on 500 year old cobblestones
22. Chocolate from Modica or Lucca
23. Discothèques opening till sunrise
24. HEBA Morellino di Scansano – one glass is never, never, never enough
25. The voices of Pavarotti, Francesco Renga & Zucchero
26. Being able to jump in the car and drive to no where and still have seen a lot
27. Trains, even when they are not on time, it’s still such a convenient way to get around
28. Weekly markets: whether it’s food, clothes or junk, nowhere does the saying “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” means so much
29. La Twingo, best damn car I have ever owned!
30. Italians can do wonders with little space – it is amazing what you can fit into a 600 square foot home!
31. Nonnapappera, La Rana Golasa, Grom, Vestri, La Piazza and Antica Delizia: gelatos from these grand establishments cannot be duplicated
32. My husband and son (ok this one is really biased)
33. The novelty of Variety Shows – ok, they may be cheesy, but even with the half dresses dancers there is something almost “old fashion” about them
34. Morning swims in Grotto Byron
35. Alessandro del Piero – the man who can still bring “class” to the game of soccer (now that he is retired to some team in Australia, I will add Gigi Buffon)
36. The amazing variety of fantastic reading glasses by top designers
37. The bidet – once you know what it’s for and how to use it, you’ll never want to be without one
38. All the great stuff you can get at the “Farmacia” with or without a prescription
39. A strong respect for elders and their stories
40. The marble lavandina – chopping counter, sink and place to dry your dishes all in one
41. The smell of roasted chestnuts on the city streets during the fall

And on to the new…

42. Il Nido – taking day care to an amazing level, at least here in Lerici

43. Not having sat down yet, and my caffè latte is on it’s way, along with a 1/2 piece of focaccia and glass of acqua frizzante

44. Time re-chargable cell phones – you can add minutes when you want versus being stuck in a contract with a big monthly fee.

46. La cassatta, canoli and anything else made with Ricotta – no country can beat this country’s ricotta

47. The diversity of this land geographically – from the Alps to the plains of Emilia Romagna, to the bustling cities to the rolling hills of Val D’Orcia, to the glorious lakes in the north to the powdery sand beaches of Puglia, from the verdant seaside of Liguria to the white washed, beautiful baroque buildings of SE Sicily.

48. Decent, I mean really good, wine for less than €5 a bottle

49. Learning thee is so much more to the cow than hamburger meat – ok, I sound real hillbilly here, but I had no idea how many cuts, types of meat dishes could be made from one cow, or pig for that matter, it amazes me and so glad nothing goes to waste.

50. Labor – what we pay our handymen or cleaning people here versus in the states is enormously less.

And so on and so on…I encourage my fellow expats to add to this list as well!

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I’m getting off my “Sicily kick” (for now) and returning to Liguria. The truth is, I live in one of the most beautiful and colorful places in the world. I invite you to peak into the place I call home…

Testimonials

We absolutely adored the cooking school you chose and loved going to the winery tour and have a tasting and lunch there. We can't thank you enough for putting all the special touches into our itinerary!